What really stood out to me in the Chapter about listening to who God says Jesus is are all the old testament references. Over and over again this chapter notes how the author of Hebrews "hears what The Holy Spirit intended". At the time, these passages of the OT were assumed to be about human kings, and as Darrel notes, where even read about/over kings when they took their human thrones. however, "the people of God realize that God was speaking beyond David and Solomon and beyond all other mere human kings. The words to david about Solomon were clearly spoken about someone to come" (123).
God made some pretty awesome claims/promises about Jesus in the OT before people even knew Him. It got me thinking about God's promises and whether or not I "hear something more; what the Holy Spirit [intends] to be heard". The kings of the OT clearly could not fulfill or live up to the lofty promises of a King promised from God who would reign eternally. If the Israelites were looking for a king or mere human to fulfill God's promises how futile and disappointing that must have been. But I realize that I do this all the time. I look for things of this world to fulfill God's promises to me. The fulfillment that completes God's promises to me are like nothing I could find on earth. In fact, His promises to me are greater than anything I could imagine on earth. So of course the things that I can see/touch/talk to/comprehend will never be the fulfillment of what He has promised.
Just as Darrel points out that in speaking of this king "the psalmist is speaking beyond what He knows" I realize that my heart yearns for something beyond what I know. My heart yearns for a relationship/love/Father beyond what I know, beyond what I could imagine. So when I am promised a perfect loving Father, when I am promised to be a daughter loved and treasured - these are promises easily mistaken in the world, but perfectly fulfilled in the One who is not of this world. The Holy Sprit intends for me to hear Jesus in these promises.
I wrote a comment and then turned it into a post. Big, huge, deep, like Romans 11 deep, stuff in this post Emily. Thanks for the wonder.
ReplyDelete